This presentation includes an intro to HoloLens' technical specifications, to its gesture control, the camera specs, how to program on HoloLens with Unity and directX and gives an overview of 2D and 3D apps. It was presented at the Vienna Computer Vision Meetup in August 2016.
4. Microsoft HoloLens is a holographic computer built into
a headset that lets you see, hear and interact with
holograms.
It merges augmented objects into the space of the real
world, creating a mixed reality for the user.
Overview
5. Overview
Developer Edition
Released in the US on March 30th 2016
Price: $3000
No official release date yet
Runs on Windows 10 (32-bit)
Controlled by gestures & audio input
Completely untethered (no wires required, not even for
development)
10. Lenses (1)
2x 3-layered “Coherent Light Interference” transparent Displays
One layer each for Red, Green, Blue
A “Light Engine” projects light into the glasses
Tricks the eyes to perceive virtual objects at virtual distances
11. Lenses (2)
Field of view:
30°×17.5° degrees (16:9)
Relatively small
2.3M light points with a density of 2.5k radiants
13. The Holographic Environment
HoloLens processes “Terabytes of information” in real time to:
map your surroundings (spatial mapping)
Know your position and gaze
Stabilize holograms
Locations are recognized as “Spaces”
(Wi-Fi must be turned on to save/load spaces, even though it
doesn’t have to be connected to a network)
Controlled / navigated through the Windows Holographic Shell to
start apps etc.
15. Input & Interaction
Interactions:
Gaze
Tap (Press / Release)
Bloom
Gestures:
Hold
Manipulation
Navigation
Voice Input
“See it, say it”
16. Software & Development
Requirements for Developers:
Windows 10 64-Bit + Hyper-V support
DirectX 11.0 or later
64-bit CPU
At least 4 Cores in total
Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
Incl. Tools (1.4) and Windows 10 SDK (10.0.10586)
HoloLens Emulator
(optional, for Unity) Unity HoloLens Technical Preview (HTP)
19. 2d Apps
2D UWP Apps can be run in HoloLens within a hologram of a 2D
Window
Gaze input is translated into Pointer Events
Placement of the Window launches the App
Limitations:
App will have fixed resolution of 853x480 effective pixels
Some Windows 10 Concepts / APIs are not available, e.g.:
Notifications, Toasts
Contacts
Calendar
File Explorer
21. Holographic Apps
Can be created either via Unity or Visual Studio
Visual Studio provides a Template that combines basic DirectX
routines and the Holographic APIs to render Holograms
Unity is the faster & easier way to go
Default & maximum rendering resolution is 720p (1268x720)
22. Mixing XAML and 3D
Apps can mix 2D Views and holographic views
To switch between XAML and holographic views, call
ApplicationViewSwitcher.SwitchAsync
MR = like AR, but the augmented content is anchored and interacting with the real world in realtime
Hold: Holding a press beyond the system's Hold threshold.
Manipulation: A press, followed by absolute movement of your hand through 3-dimensional world.
Navigation: A press, followed by relative movement of your hand or the controller within a 3-dimensional unit cube, potentially on axis-aligned rails.
Navigation == scrolling, zooming, etc.
Voice Input:
Assisted by Cortana
See it, Say it -> Gaze somewhere then say the command (Select, Next, etc.)
For example, this is necessary when displaying a keyboard in a holographic App because the system can only show the keyboard when the App is showing a 2D view